Carfentanil, an opioid more toxic than fentanyl, linked to more deaths in B.C.

An increase in traces of carfentanil found in opioids in the province is being linked to 64 deaths in B.C. between January and March of 2019. (Black Press Media file photo)

There were 268 fatal overdoses from illicit drugs across B.C. in the first quarter of the year, and a concerning amount of those deaths involved carfentanil – a drug more toxic than fentanyl.

Carfentanil, a powerful opioid used by veterinarians for large animals like elephants, was found in toxicology reports on 64 British Columbians who died between January and March, the BC Coroners Service said Wednesday.

Latest BC Coroner stats on illicit drug ODs in B.C. are out.1st 3 months of the year = 268 deaths, compared to 395 of the same period in 2018. However: Carfentanil, a drug more toxic than fentanyl, found in 64 deaths so far this year, compared to 35 in 2018. @BlackPressMedia

In March, 104 people fatally overdosed, or roughly three people per day. That is 34 per cent less than the same period in 2018. B.C. also saw a 34 per cent decrease in the number of deaths compared to the same period last year.

The cities experiencing the highest number of overdoses are Vancouver, Surrey, Victoria and Abbotsford.